


Lines of Allegiance

by Rennaren



Series: Tomorrow [8]
Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Abduction, Gen, Kind of AU, Post canon, akane-centric, history and politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-03 11:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10244447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rennaren/pseuds/Rennaren
Summary: Akane is sent on a mission to investigate the source of illegal immigrants from NorAL after the revelations brought to light following the cases of serial abduction three months prior. But is there more to her mission than meets the eye, and what truths will she uncover along the way?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in March 2117

In a luxurious office on one of the upper floors of NONA tower overlooking the city sat the head of the MWPSB, a petite gray haired woman still somehow imposing despite her age, her eyes closed as she leaned back in the chair behind her large desk.

 _“…The continuing stabilization and expansion of the Sybil system in SEAUn and the new members gained there allows for an increasing amount of our attention and resources to be devoted to negotiations with the forms of government in various foreign countries and planning toward beginning the establishment of Sybil in NorAL. However we still do not have enough information to determine the viability of expanding to other territories in NorAL should we be able to gain a foothold in that country. …To determine the true nature and extent of the government’s control over the populace there, and the willingness of the people to accept the rule of Sybil in order to obtain a more secure life, an observer is needed to travel to NorAL and move among the country’s citizens. Someone who can both survive the potential dangers there,… and who will report to us.”_ intoned the voice of Sybil inside Joshu Kasei’s mind.

“Unfortunately Inspector Shimotsuki is still too naive and inexperienced for such a task.” said Chief Kasei as she leaned back in her chair, the action almost concealing the data cable connected to the back of her neck. “It would seem the best option would still be to send Inspector Tsunemori, we shall simply have to conceal from her the true intent of her mission.” 

Kasei’s eyes glowed blue, lines of data seeming to flicker across them as she sat inhumanly still, remaining silent and unblinking for several long minutes. Finally her eyes closed in a slow blink, the glow having diminished when she reopened her eyes, before speaking once more. “Yes,… that could perhaps provide a sufficient explanation for her to overlook the potential of there being any alternative reason for the assignment. …And should she become difficult after leaving, there is the option of using the members of her division as hostages to ensure her cooperation and subsequent return to Japan. …It would be inconvenient if it became necessary to replace them with new enforcers… but in the event of a need to eliminate any of them, it would be possible.” 

The glow returned to her eyes as Chief Kasei briefly fell silent again, then after a moment she pressed back against her chair to disconnect the cable before sitting upright, resting her elbows on her desk with her chin not quite resting on her folded, upraised hands while a thin smile came to her lips. “I’m sure Inspector Tsunemori’s resourcefulness will be able to obtain the necessary information for us without her even realizing it…” she murmured quietly to the empty room.

The squad room of Division One was nearly silent as it was early enough in the day that no one had yet arrived for their shift. Except for Nobuchika Ginoza, who was already at his workstation typing, though what he was working on at the moment wasn’t exactly casework. Preferring to tend to this without distraction, and more importantly to avoid the attention and comments of others, he had made sure to arrive in the squad room early enough to be done before the other members of the division arrived for work.   
So far in the time since establishing the nature of their relationship he and Kiyoshiko had managed to squeeze at least one ‘date’ a month, apart from their regular conversations, in between the workload of Division One’s case load and her job schedule, consisting of a shared activity during a video call. 

_Though doing so does require planning well in advance, especially since something as simple as a trip to the grocery store is out of the question unless Tsunemori accompanies me… Which while she would likely be willing, it wouldn’t really be fair to her. Not to mention would cause her extra trouble._ thought Ginoza, sighing softly as he lifted his hands from the keyboard to call up a message file on his wrist link.

The raven haired enforcer checked the list of ingredients Kiyoshiko had given him once more as he filled out his requisition request form. _Did Kagari usually have this long of a list when he would cook?..._ mused Ginoza, his mind wandering briefly back to his days as an inspector when he would be on the receiving end of such lists from the enforcers under him. _…Hmm, some of these spices are plants. …If they’re something that we’re going to use routinely perhaps I should see if I can grow them instead… it would save Tsunemori the trouble of getting them for me…_

“What are you working on Ginoza-san?” came Akane’s voice from close behind him, causing Ginoza to flinch in surprise, as she leaned forward a bit over his shoulder to study the form on his screen. Ginoza felt his face heat slightly as he quickly minimized the form, and spun his chair to face Akane who stepped back to give him space to turn, smiling slightly at him. “…Are you and Kiyoshiko-chan going to cook something again?”

“Yes,… It seems that cooking together works better for us than some of the other things we’ve tried so far…” replied Ginoza, nodding as he crossed one leg over the other, folding his arms across his chest as he continued the comment silently. _…Though the problem with the movie was probably more the genre than anything… especially given our situation…_

“…I see…” murmured Akane, pursing her lips thoughtfully for a minute as her gaze wandered to the side before she pulled a chair from one of the other desks over and sat down facing Ginoza. “…Maybe I should see if she can teach me about cooking too. …Though she’s already been helping me improve my English during our training sessions…”

“Hmm… Has the training been going well? …As for the cooking you should ask her, but I doubt that Kiyoshiko would mind teaching you to cook. It is something she enjoys after all.” murmured Ginoza, a hint of a smile crossing his face for a second. He paused for a moment before adding with one eyebrow raised as he studied Akane. “…Why English though?” 

“I think so… She’s actually starting to get better now at anticipating what the sparring bot is going to do.” said Akane as she nodded, smiling a bit. One of her shoulders moved in a shrug as she answered Ginoza’s second question. “It seemed like a good idea somehow… especially considering what happened a few months ago. …Who knows when I might need to have a better grasp of English, or use it again?”

Ginoza’s expression sobered at the memory of the serial abduction case, as he nodded. “I suppose I see your point. But do you have some reason to think-…” He broke off as the sound of an incoming message on Akane’s wrist link interrupted his words.

Akane looked down, a frown coming to her face as she saw who the message was from. “…Chief Kasei wants to see me…” she murmured as she rose from her chair stepping toward the door as she turned to leave. She paused in the doorway of Division One’s squad room to look back over her shoulder at Ginoza, putting on a smile. “…Be sure to send that form to me as soon you’ve finished it so I can approve it for you in time.”

“Yes, I will.” agreed Ginoza nodding. He started to turn back toward his workstation then paused, his gaze moving to the doorway Akane had left through as a frown came to his face. _Why would the Chief suddenly summon Akane like that… Could it have anything to do with what we were talking about?_ wondered Ginoza as he turned the rest of the way around and reached out uneasily to begin typing once more.

After stepping off the elevator Akane walked down the hall toward Chief Kasei’s office. The doors slid aside as she approached them, allowing her to step into the room and make her way over to the Chief’s desk, her footsteps seeming loud in the eerie silence of the large office. “You wanted to see me Chief Kasei?” asked Akane, squaring her shoulders as she came to a stop in front of Kasei’s desk.

“…Ah, Inspector Tsunemori…” began Chief Kasei as she spun her chair around to face Akane from across the desk. “Yes,… I have an assignment for you.”

Akane frowned a bit at the Chief’s words, stepping a bit closer to the desk as she studied the gray haired woman behind it. “What sort of assignment?” 

“Arrangements have been made with a branch of government in NorAL for an investigation into the illegal immigrants from their country that have managed to enter Japan. …The most recent of which was Evan Harrison, the serial abductor and murderer your team arrested three months ago.” explained Chief Kasei keying commands into her computer as she spoke, momentarily bringing Harrison’s picture up on the display behind her. “To that end you will be traveling to NorAL to uncover the source of these incursions and acts of terrorism on our soil.”

“…I see… So you’re assuming that what happened was more than just an isolated incident…” murmured Akane under her breath, indecision flickering across her expression before she concealed it, her posture straightening. Her expression hardened into something nearing suspicion as she continued. “Where in NorAL would I be going?”

Kasei called up a map on the display, a section on the west coast of it was highlighted in green with a point indicated on it by a small dot. “The government in NorAL that has agreed to cooperate with us is located in the southern portion of their territory of California, so you will begin your investigation there. However they have only agreed to limited cooperation, and we currently are unable to give up the use of any enforcers for an extended period, so you will be going unaccompanied. Should you choose to refuse the protection of whatever guards they provide you with you will be on your own until your investigation is complete and you are ready to return to Japan.”

“Do we have any definitive evidence that the illegal immigrants came from that area? During my interrogation Harrison-san never indicated what part of NorAL he was from.” asked Akane returning her attention to Chief Kasei after studying the map for a moment. “And even with confining the investigation to a single territory, unless the monitoring infrastructure of California is almost as extensive as what we have here, just locating them could take months. If they’re even there.”

“You’ll be discussing that with their government once you arrive.” Kasei’s eyes narrowed as she focused on Akane. “…Unless, Inspector… you’re trying to indicate that you think you’re incapable of completing the task…? It would be a shame to discover that an inspector once so highly regarded turned out to be less useful than anticipated. …A career could be cut short by something like that. ”added Kasei, eyeing Akane over the tops of her glasses.

Akane’s frown deepened at the implied threat. “Fine. …I’ll handle the investigation.” She straightened her posture, looking down at the seated Chief Kasei. “…When am I expected to leave?

“Good.” said Kasei, as she placed her elbows on the surface of her desk, leaning toward Akane a bit. “You’ll be leaving in three hours, there is a transport ship departing Japan at that time. So you will have until then to prepare.” said the gray haired woman pausing for a moment before turning away, shifting her attention to something on the screen of her computer instead, in a silent dismissal.

Akane stood frowning as she studied Kasei’s form for several moments before nodding and making her way out of the office. _Just what exactly are they planning? We’d thought that there might be some repercussions after what happened with Harrison-san… but actually being sent to NorAL? And all of a sudden like this. …It’s suspicious._

By the time Akane returned to the squad room after her meeting with Chief Kasei, the rest of the division had arrived for their shifts. As she stepped into the room, Ginoza looked up from his work, his expression questioning. Akane shook her head fractionally before going over to her desk beginning to pull up the files she thought she might need, and make preparations for her trip. 

A short time later a soft chime from Mika’s station indicated the junior inspector had received a message. She pulled it up to read it, making a soft sound of surprise before looking over at Akane. Seeing that she wouldn’t be able to put it off any longer Akane got to her feet calling for the attention of the others. “…I’ve been assigned a special mission by Chief Kasei. I will be investigating a new lead on an old case, ...one which will be taking me out of the country. In my absence Inspector Shimotsuki will act as senior inspector of Division One. Inspector Ren Itsuki from Division Three will be temporarily reassigned to assist her here.” 

Soft murmurs moved through the room for a moment as the others traded surprised glances. From his station Ginoza frowned intently at Akane looking as if he were getting ready to say something. Before he could, Yayoi spoke up, an almost imperceptible expression of confusion on her features. “Inspector?”

“I’m not certain how long I’ll be gone, so Chief Kasei thought it best to make sure that there was an additional inspector assigned to the Division to assist Inspector Shimotsuki.” explained Akane including the others in her reply as well, as she let her gaze move across the room. “Though hopefully it will be quiet while I’m away so his presence will be more of a formality than anything.” 

Ginoza got to his feet as Akane finished, his hands fisted at his sides as he gazed steadily at her. “Inspector Tsunemori. A word please.”

“All right Ginoza-san. …Come with me then. …Inspector Shimotsuki, you’re in charge.” said Akane sighing quietly as she stepped away from her desk, making her way toward the door. Ginoza followed closely behind her, nearly palpable waves of displeasure radiating from him. Akane led the way to the lounge, getting a couple cans of coffee from the vending machine before finally turning to face Ginoza holding out one of the cans to him.

“Is this what Chief Kasei had wanted to see you about?!” he blurted as soon as Akane turned to face him, ignoring for the moment the offered drink. “Just what sort of mission is she sending you on?”

Looking down Akane hesitated, debating on how much she could safely reveal as she set the second can down then opened her own can of coffee. “…I’ve been assigned to investigate some new connections to the Harrison case. …I’m being sent to NorAL.”

“What?!” murmured Ginoza a chill sweeping through him as he recalled that they had been discussing just that before Akane had been summoned. The uneasy sensation was only intensified, approaching outright anxiety as he recalled the events in SEAUn, remembering just how close Akane had come to being executed by the corrupt military there. And how much greater the potential danger would be in a country lacking the stability of Japan and without even the influence of Sybil present. “You’re going to be taking someone with you though, right? After what happened in SEAUn, anywhere outside Japan is obviously not safe. I’ll put in a request to accompany-…” He broke off as Akane shook her head in response, his expression becoming more concerned.

“The government Japan is working with is only allowing limited entry in their country, so I’ll be going alone.” said Akane, looking up at Ginoza as she sat down, putting her canned coffee on the bench next to her.

Ginoza drew back slightly, his eyes widening for a moment before narrowing. “You’re not serious?! …That’s,… insane!” _…Sending you alone into a country where Sybil has no control at all, to investigate a lead on some illegal immigrants… it’s practically a suicide mission. What is going on here?!..._ The sensation of a hand on his flesh arm pulled Ginoza from his thoughts a few minutes later. He returned his attention to Akane to see her watching him with a small smile. 

“Don’t you trust me to be able to take care of myself Ginoza-san?” asked Akane as she let her hand fall, reaching over to pick up the second can of coffee she had gotten earlier, offering it to him once more. “Not even a little? I’m a lot tougher than I look, you know.”

“…That’s not it…” muttered Ginoza looking away a bit and scoffing lightly as he took the offered can of coffee. _…In a situation as potentially dangerous as the one you’re walking into it doesn’t matter how tough you are… something could still go wrong._ thought Ginoza frowning as he sat down on the bench set in the middle of the room near Akane, trying to calm himself enough to think of a way to convince her to somehow take him or someone else along for protection in spite of Chief Kasei’s orders.

Akane watched Ginoza for a moment or two before putting on a sunny smile. “Don’t worry Ginoza-san. I’ll be all right, you’ll see.”

Ginoza studied Akane for several minutes before shaking his head, his expression lightening a bit despite the worry still evident in his eyes as he finally nodded in reply. _You really are incredible…_ He thought, feeling himself relax minutely in the face of Akane’s confidence, in spite of his apprehension.

Akane and Ginoza sat together in silence for several minutes as Akane sipped at her coffee and Ginoza absently held his unopened can, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Finally Akane got to her feet, leaving her can behind on the bench, as she looked over at Ginoza. “I should go, I still need to pack before I leave. Will you walk me to my car and see me off Ginoza-san?” asked Akane as she offered another smile. 

“Of course.” replied Ginoza as he set his unopened can next to Akane’s, leaving it behind on the bench as well before following her out of the room. 

Standing at the glass doors that opened to the garage area of the MWPSB Ginoza hesitated as he watched Akane start to get into her car. Finally he called out to her, causing her to pause and look back toward him with a questioning expression. “Tsunemori, please… Be careful.”

A brilliant smile lit up Akane’s face as she nodded and called back toward him. “I will Ginoza-san.” She lifted a hand in a wave before slipping inside her car and driving off, leaving Ginoza standing at the doors. He watched until her car disappeared from sight before turning with a quiet sigh and making his way back inside.


	2. Chapter 2

For the first two days of the journey Akane had spent the majority of her time in her cabin, studying the material on NorAL and the government of the California Territory that she had been provided with by the Japanese Ministry of Welfare, in addition to the additional information about the territory of California that had been supplied by their own government. _…Though most of that read more like a travel brochure for some reason,… it wasn’t very helpful._ Akane had thought to herself as she set aside the file, next to an ashtray which held a lit cigarette.

However she had been able to put together a basic picture of NorAL and its structure from what had been provided.  
The North American League also known as NorAL, was made up of the loosely allied nations of Canada and what remained of the United States of America after a breakdown of its government roughly eighty years ago. Following a civil war which lasted for seven years the states had gradually formed territories each of which viewed itself as an independent country. In most of the cases that were in the file these territories appeared to be governed by either a single individual appointed by a selecting group to serve in a capacity similar to president, or were governed by a small ruling council. In California the case was the former, Gerald Beckett the governor of California had been in command of the territory for the past six years and seemed, at least on the surface, to have managed to keep the majority of the territory in a largely peaceful state in spite of a couple of minor border skirmishes with neighboring territories near the beginning of his governance.  
_…And that seems to be that. At least as far as the information I have goes._ thought Akane, reaching over to stub out the cigarette she had burning among the ashes gathered in the ashtray already, as she finished outlining her research into the beginnings of a report.

 

Finally on the third day of her voyage Akane set aside her studies and emerged from her cabin, after a final review of the information she’d compiled. She walked out onto the deck of the transport vessel, the speed of the ship as it powered through the waves blowing her hair back as she walked over to the railing, resting her hands on it as she stared out at the sea. _Is this the sort of view Kogami-san saw when he left Japan? Nothing but endless ocean as far as you can see…_ thought Akane sighing quietly to herself, as she glanced down at the water thrown up by the ships passage before leaning forward to rest her elbows on the railing, her gaze moving out across the water once more. _…I wonder if he had any idea of what it was like where he was headed, or if he even knew where he was going then? …Is it really like Kogami-san said it is, ‘…Only war and destruction all across the world.’? Just what am I going to find when I get to California?_

Hearing footsteps crossing the deck behind her Akane shook herself from her thoughts, turning as one of the crew members came up behind her. “Excuse me Inspector… the captain wanted to inform you that we will be arriving at Santa Barbra Harbor in a few hours.” 

“Thank you.” said Akane nodding at the uniformed young man, starting to turn back toward the railing, before hesitating and looking back over at him. “…May I ask you a question?” 

The man’s posture straightened as Akane turned back toward him. He nodded stiffly as he replied. “Yes ma’am. …What is it you’d like to know?” 

Akane smiled, gesturing for the man to relax as she did. “I was wondering,… have you ever seen what it’s like there? In California I mean.” 

“Oh, no ma’am. I don’t think anyone has,…” replied the young man, shaking his head. “I’ve never even heard of a ship being pulled away from its regular patrol or being sent anywhere outside Japan’s waters. …But then, why would anyone want to see? Surely you of all people have heard rumors about what it’s like out there,… being an Inspector and all.” He paused for a moment, before leaning forward a bit, a conspiratorial smile coming to his face as he looked at Akane. “…This must be some really important mission huh?” 

Akane murmured a vague response, before dismissing the crewmember and turning back to rest her elbows on the railing as she looked out over the ocean once more, fixing her eyes on the distant spot of land that was beginning to become visible on the horizon. _…I wonder what I’ll find once I get there,… will it be like SEAUn? ...What is a place without any influence at all from the Sybil System really like?_  
The petite inspector lingered at the railing for a while, lost in her thoughts, before finally turning and making her way below deck to gather her things. 

Once the ship docked at Santa Barbra Harbor, Akane made her way down the ramp to where a group of soldiers and a trio of armored SUV’s waited. As she came to a stop several of the uniformed men moved to surround her, their loosely held weapons were currently aimed at the ground as they eyed the area. From among the soldiers a man that appeared to be in late middle age, with predominately gray hair stepped forward saluting her sharply. “Inspector Tsunemori?” 

Akane looked around her briefly before focusing her attention on the man who had spoken, returning his salute. “Yes,… I’m Inspector Akane Tsunemori from the Japanese Ministry of Welfare’s Public Safety Bureau. It’s nice to meet you.” she replied in English. 

“I’m General Erwin Burkhard, senior commander of the militia of the California Territory.” said the man, lowering his hand before offering her a slight smile. He stepped back, opening the door of an armor plated SUV behind him. “Please come with me Inspector. We’re to escort you to the governor’s estate.” 

Akane hesitated a moment, her gaze moving to the armed men surrounding her before her attention was drawn once more to General Burkhard as he motioned for her to enter the SUV. “Please Inspector Tsunemori, it’s not a good idea to linger out in the open like this.” 

“…Very well.” Akane climbed into the back of the vehicle settling back against the seat as the general closed the door then rounded the vehicle to climb in beside her. She watched through the tinted windows as the soldiers got into the other two SUV’s. At a command from General Burkhard the convoy pulled away from the dock, weaving through a few smaller streets before driving quickly onto a main road. Akane peered through the window for a few minutes as the scenery flashed by almost too quickly to take in properly before folding her arms across her chest as she looked over at Burkhard. “…Is it really that dangerous here?” she asked after a moment’s pause. 

A faintly embarrassed expression crossed Burkhard’s face for an instant and he coughed lightly into his hand before shaking his head as he put on a reassuring smile. “Not really. …But it’s rare we have foreign dignitaries of such importance visiting our territory. They’re not really a problem but there are a handful of people that might get the idea that they could gain something by causing trouble at a time like that. You know,… random dissenters and malcontents. ….It’s nothing you or the Japanese government should worry about though. You’re in absolutely no danger here.” 

“…I see…” murmured Akane studying the general for a few minutes longer before leaning back against the seat, her gaze moving to the window once more. As they traveled down the street that was strangely empty of people she unconsciously leaned toward the glass absorbed in taking in the view of palm trees and scattered stucco roofed houses that lined the road for several blocks before suddenly giving way to an open area that led to a fortress like wall with solid metal doors that formed a large gate, set into it. 

As they approached, the massive gate opened allowing the trio of SUV’s to drive inside. Akane looked out the window as they cleared the wall and drove toward a tall multi-story building, the upper floors covered in large windows, at the center of the elegant and ornate grounds that towered up over the height of the wall to allow a view of the city, shoreline, and ocean beyond it. 

The SUV’s finally came to a stop at the staircase in front of the mansion. General Burkhard looked over to give Akane a slight smile before getting out of the vehicle and circling around it to open Akane’s door. “I’ll show you up to your room. Once you’ve had a chance to freshen up from your journey you can let the body guard that will be posted outside your door know that you’re ready to meet with the governor, so that he can welcome you properly.” said Burkhard as he helped Akane from the car, offering to carry her luggage, before leading her up the stairs. 

Akane nodded in response as she was led through the mansion’s entrance, hoping that whatever welcome the governor had planned would be relatively short. _I am curious about what it’s like here… but I also need to complete my mission quickly… I don’t want to be gone too long and leave everyone back home to take care of things by themselves. She thought as she chewed lip for a moment before coming to a decision._ “…Actually, I think I’m ready to meet with the governor now if it’s convenient.” 

General Burkhard looked over at Akane, a surprised expression visible on his face before he masked it. “Are you certain? You’ve had a very long journey…” he began. 

“No, I’m sure. I came here for a reason, so I’d like to get started as soon as possible.” said Akane as she shook her head, slowing her stride as they approached a grand staircase that led to the second floor and a set of elevators. 

“Very well.” Burkhard sighed as he waved one of the soldiers trailing a distance behind them forward to take Akane’s luggage. “This man will take your things to your room then, if that is acceptable. In the meantime I’ll escort you to the Governor’s parlor so you can at least relax comfortably while you wait.” 

Akane nodded, allowing the soldier to take her suit case before following General Burkhard a short distance down the hall to a sitting room, which was decorated with antique, Victorian style reproduction furnishings. She gingerly sat down on one of the couches, watching as the general left the room, closing the door behind him. A short time later Burkhard returned instructing Akane to follow him, the gray haired man led her across the hallway to a luxurious office. As they entered a man in his mid-thirties, with close cropped blonde hair and vivid blue eyes, rose from behind the desk putting on a large smile as he rounded it and came toward her, his hand already extended to shake hers. 

“Ah,… Inspector Tsunemori, how wonderful to meet such a lovely representative of Japan. I’m Gerald Beckett, fifteenth governor of the California Territory.” said the broad shouldered man as he vigorously shook her hand before releasing it after a moment, gesturing toward a couple of chairs set in a corner of the room near a small end table. “Please let me welcome you to our little corner of NorAL. I know it’s probably far less exciting than what you’re used to in Japan, and of course what we have to offer is probably not much in comparison to the luxury you’re used to as well thanks to the wonders of your Sybil System. But I hope that won’t prevent you from taking advantage of our hospitality. We may not be as prosperous a country as Japan but you’ll find we still have some places that are interesting for sightseeing.” He said as he seated himself across from Akane. 

_What exactly does he think I’m here for?_ thought Akane, an almost imperceptible frown crossing her face as she nodded in response. “Oh… thank you.” She murmured softly after a moment’s hesitation as she settled back in her chair. 

“Now, what is it that we can do for you?” asked the governor, leaning forward slightly as he rested his hands on his knees. “I’m sure we’ll do whatever we can to accommodate your needs, Inspector.” 

“Thank you.” repeated Akane once again, offering the Governor a fractional bow before continuing. “I was sent here to investigate the source of some illegal immigrants that were responsible for crimes in Japan. It would be very helpful if I could be allowed to speak with someone who might know of any criminal or terrorist groups that might be responsible.” 

“Oh my. How terrible.” murmured Beckett, drawing back slightly in his chair. He half turned to look toward General Burkhard motioning for the man to step closer. “…I believe that the Chief of Police would have records on any criminal activity in the area?” he began, before glancing over at Akane, putting on a broad smile once more. “Not that crime is common here of course Inspector. …But if there is any minor criminal activity, our police force is more than capable of dealing with it.” 

“All right. …Then I would appreciate being able to speak with your chief of police and look at whatever files or information they might have to offer.” said Akane nodding firmly. “I’d like to get started right away if possible.” 

A look of disappointment crossed Governor Beckett’s face at her words. “…Oh, I’m sure the morning will be soon enough to start won’t it Inspector? After all it is rather late to begin working on something like that, especially on such short notice.” Covering the expression quickly the Governor offered Akane a genial smile instead as he attempted to dissuade her from setting immediately to work. “Besides after your long journey you really should take the time to rest. …Won’t you please relax for now and enjoy our hospitality? Allow General Burkhard to escort you to your room. Dinner will be served shortly and I’ll arrange for your meal to be brought up to you there.” 

“…If I could at least began examining any files…” began Akane before her protest was cut off as Governor Beckett motioned for General Burkhard to show the brunette inspector out. The older man gave Akane an apologetic look before doing as instructed and guiding her out of the Governor’s office. 

After her meeting with the governor Akane was escorted to a large luxurious room despite her protests that she would prefer to begin working immediately by meeting with the local police force or anyone that would be able to give her more information on the people she had been sent to investigate. _Or at least have allowed me to start looking at any files they might have…_ thought Akane sighing as the door to the room was closed behind her, shutting out the view of the hall and the soldier positioned outside the door.  
Cream and gold wallpaper hung from the walls, accenting the gold colored bedding on the large, four poster canopy bed and the warm brown tones of the night stands on either side of the bed and large round table that was set near the window. She glanced toward bed, which her suitcase had been placed on and walked over to begin unpacking. _I guess there really isn’t much else I can do right now though…_ Akane thought as she unlocked her suitcase reaching inside to take out a few items, carrying them over to the large wardrobe in a corner of the room. 

When she was finished unpacking Akane moved over to the window that stretched from floor to ceiling covering two walls of the room, gazing out at the view of the remains of a wharf extending from the beach out into the ocean. Groups of small sail boats glided calmly through the waters of the bay against the backdrop of mountains in the distance. As she watched them Akane let out a slow breath, a small smile coming to her face. _…It really does look peaceful here though, maybe…_

A flash of light reflecting off the bullet proof glass of the window on the other wall drew Akane’s attention away from the tranquil view. She moved to look out the window, cupping her hands around her face to block out the light of the room behind her in order to see better. In the distance a red glow illuminated the darkening sky, contrasted by dark clouds of smoke rising from another part of the city. Turning her gaze downward Akane watched as a line of tanks emerged from below her view, rolling out of the fortified walls around the estate and onto the street heading toward the smoke and fire. Stepping back from the window Akane went over to the door, as soon as she opened it she was met with the smiling face of the soldier posted outside. “What’s going on out there?” asked Akane, starting to step out into the hall before being blocked as the soldier stepped in front of the doorway. 

“Oh, it’s nothing you need worry about Inspector. You’re perfectly safe here.” replied the soldier, his smile widening for a moment. “…Your dinner should be served shortly,… allow me to darken the window so it won’t disturb your meal.” He added as he stepped past Akane into the room, going over to the window and entering a command into a nearby panel, darkening it so that the view of the city, and the fire, was dimmed to near invisibility, leaving only the view of the bay in the other window visible.  
Closing a cover on the panel, the soldier stepped past Akane and back out of the room before turning to face her once more as he reached out to put a hand on the door handle. “There. …Please let me know if you need anything else Inspector Tsunemori.” He said as he closed the door, shutting Akane inside the room. 

_…Or maybe it isn’t as peaceful as they want to make me believe…_ thought Akane glancing toward the darkened window for a moment before looking back to the closed door, her smile from earlier having long since faded to a frown. 

The next day, after finishing the luxurious breakfast which was delivered to her room, Akane was finally taken to a brick building across town from the governor’s estate. Once there a pair of guards quickly escorted Akane inside, one of the two breaking off just after entering to disappear into a corridor ahead of them. The remaining guard stayed with Akane during a cursory search before they were allowed to proceed, then began leading her through the winding halls of the nearly silent building for several minutes before the sound of a voice began to reach her ears as they neared the end of the hall.  
Upon entering the room Akane was confronted with the sight of a tall, slightly stocky, middle aged man with brown hair looming several inches over the guard which had gone ahead of them. The guard was wearing an impassive expression, while the taller man all but prodded the younger man’s chest with a finger as he spoke in a raised voice. “…If this is the way that he’s wanting things handled then you can tell him I said to do it himself and leave me out of it. I’m a busy man too! And I have enough things to do without having to coddle and babysit some foreign dignitary.” 

“…Um… excuse me…” murmured Akane softly, beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable at overhearing his words, seemingly without him having noticed she was there. 

The brown haired man turned at the sound of her voice, running a hand through his hair where it lay over one side of his forehead before rubbing the back of his neck, still wearing a slight frown. “Oh. You’re here...” he said as he stood looking over at her for a moment with one hand propped on his hip. 

After a brief pause he let his hands fall back to his sides as he walked over to where Akane was. “Well then. …I’m Chief Douglas Armato. You were wanting to look at our files to see if you can find anything out about some people that made it to Japan?” 

“Yes that’s right. I’m Inspector Akane Tsunemori...” began Akane before lowering the hand she had started to offer to shake his, moving to follow Armato instead at a gesture indicating she should accompany him as the taller man continued past her, leading the way down another hall. 

He led Akane, and the two soldiers who were acting as bodyguards, to an unadorned room that was furnished with only a long table and chairs.  
Chief Armato opened the door with a quiet murmur of “Ladies first…” as he waved Akane inside ahead of him before turning as the pair of bodyguards attempted to follow. “ …It’ll be crowded enough in here once we bring all the files in, without a matched set of muscle taking up space and filling the room with hot air. You can wait outside the door if you insist on hanging around.” said Armato as he forcefully guided the men out of the room before closing the door behind them. 

Once the door was closed Douglas Armato turned to Akane as he ran his fingers through his hair. “…So where do you want to start Inspector?” 


	3. Chapter 3

Over the course of the next two days Akane and Chief Armato had begun to form a sort of friendship. Despite what had initially seemed to be the man’s objection to her presence he had made every effort to aid her search, from helping to carry in and read over the seemingly endless stacks of files, to keeping her supplied with coffee, and even attempting to buoy her spirits with what she had later discovered was a rather cheerful personality when she began to tire and lose focus. However by the third day of looking through files, whose details were in large part missing or deliberately concealed Akane’s frustration was beginning to reach a boiling point.

“How am I supposed to be able to get any information from these files…?” Akane groaned, letting her head fall to rest on a stack of files as she covered her head with her arms. “So much of it is blacked out there’s barely any useful information left.” She lifted her head, resting her arms on the files instead as she looked over at Chief Armato, who had glanced up from the file he was reading at her groan. “…It’s almost like I’m not supposed to find out anything and am just being kept busy until I give up, even though going by appearances alone it comes across the opposite way. That every one of the governor’s people are bending over backwards to give me anything I need.”

Lowering his feet from the edge of the table Douglas Armato’s gaze moved toward the door, eyeing the ‘body guard’ that was just visible on the other side of the glass, as if making sure he hadn’t overheard before leaning over to speak quietly as he pulled another file closer and opened it. “…You really want to know why it is they’re trying to keep things from you?” he asked glancing over at Akane for a moment as he aimlessly placed a finger on the open pages of the file as if pointing something out to her.

“Yes,… if it will help me do what I came here for and find out the source of the people that have been entering Japan illegally.” said Akane, nodding as she followed Armato’s lead and glanced down at the file while she replied in a low voice. 

“Hmm…” murmured Chief Armato, reaching out to scribble something on a piece of paper with his other hand as his finger moved to another place in the file after turning the page. He continued in a voice just above a whisper. “I might be able to help you with that. …In the morning, shake off your guards. If you make your move early enough you should be able to catch them by surprise when there are fewer on duty…”

Akane looked over at Armato her eyes widening, before the chief cleared his throat his gaze moving toward the door, and she schooled her expression into neutrality once more. “…And then what?”

Armato picked up a file on the table next to him as he indicated a file that was nearer Akane before holding out a hand, signaling her to trade with him. “…Be there by sunrise. That should be no later than 6 am here.”

Glancing down Akane saw that Chief Armato had handed her a paper with a roughly drawn map on it along with the file. She set the file on the table and opened it, before quickly pulling the paper down onto her lap where it was out of sight as she folded it and put it in her pocket, while pretending to study the heavily redacted file in front of her. 

A few minutes later Douglas Armato leaned back in his chair with an exaggerated groan as he stretched his arms over his head while looking over at the clock on the wall. “I’m not sure we’re going to get much further tonight. …And it looks like your bodyguard over there is more than ready to be set free… What do you say we give him a break tonight, Miss Inspector?” he said returning to speaking in a normal, easily overheard voice as he grinned over at Akane.

“O-oh… all right.” said Akane momentarily thrown by the abrupt change in atmosphere. She stood, setting the file aside as she turned to gather up her things before making her way to the door. 

“I’m sorry you didn’t get very far finding your men today.” Chief Armato rose from his chair as well, following her as he ran his hands through his hair, making it stand up a bit. Reaching past her he opened the door to the room, stepping out into the hall with her. “…Maybe we’ll have better luck tomorrow though.” He added with a smile as she was being led down the hall by her bodyguard. Akane turned to look back over her shoulder at him as he waved. “See you then… Miss Inspector.”

That night Akane prepared herself to make her escape. Changing into more comfortable, less formal clothing she moved as many of her belongings that she thought may be essential and were small enough to be easily carried, into the pockets of her pants, jacket, and her belt pouch. Shortly before dawn she lingered near the door of her room waiting until the guard left at the change of shift, leaving the door unguarded just long enough for Akane to escape from her room before his replacement arrived. She quietly made her way through the governor’s mansion, eventually reaching the first floor and the last obstacle to her escape. Akane paused lingering in a curtained off area, peering cautiously out between the velvet drapes at the guards lingering in the hallway, chatting while they patrolled the building.

Finally the pair of guards moved away down the hall, allowing Akane to step from behind the wall of curtains that was concealing her and make her way across the hallway. She checked one last time to make sure no one was coming then opened the door, slipping out into the darkness as she pulled the door closed behind her. With a bit of effort she managed to make her way across the grounds to the smaller doors she had seen from the governor’s office the day she arrived without being spotted and escape onto the street hurrying away from the massive walled estate. 

Once she was some distance away Akane ducked into an alley leaning back against one wall, pausing to catch her breath as she pulled the map Chief Armato had given her from her pocket to check which way she needed to go to reach the planned meeting place. _It looks like it’s… maybe a mile from here._ thought Akane as she studied the roughly drawn map by the light of the small flashlight she had brought along in a pocket. _As long as I don’t run into any delays I should just be able to make it in time._ Tucking the map and flashlight away in her pocket Akane pushed away from the wall, peering cautiously out of the alley before starting down the empty street at a quick pace to reach the rendezvous in time.

Within fifteen minutes Akane had reached the place indicated on the map. It was nearly sunrise and the sky was beginning to lighten as she approached the area cautiously, looking around for any sign of Chief Armato. The street was empty save for an empty van parked a short distance away, and Akane glanced down at her wrist link to check the time once more. “He should be here by now. In just a couple minutes it will be sunrise.” She murmured quietly to herself. 

“…That her?...” asked a man’s voice quietly as he and his companion watched from the parked van as Akane checked her wrist link. 

“Has to be,… this is where she’s supposed to be.” replied the other man as he rested a hand on the door handle preparing to open it. “Looks like she did manage to lose her guards, at least for now. Makes this easier. Come on, let’s go. There’s not much time left.”

As the minutes passed a dawn broke Akane could distantly hear sounds of the city beginning to wake as light filtered through the gaps between tall buildings. She looked up as a voice sounded, suddenly close beside her. “You that inspector from Japan?” asked the man as he grabbed hold of her upper arm, pulling her a few steps down the street before she recovered from her initial surprise enough to react. “Come with me.”

“What?! Let go.” ordered Akane as she yanked her arm out of the man’s grasp. She backed away, intending to turn to run when the second man came up behind her wrapping his arms around her torso to pin her arms to her sides, as he lifted her feet off the ground. 

Akane thrashed in the man’s grip trying to break his hold on her as she hooked her foot around the back of his knee and yanked, bringing them both crashing to the ground. The brunette inspector got one arm free, managing to elbow the man holding her in the face. 

His grip loosened for a moment as he swore, allowing her to break free. She turned as the first man moved to close in on her once more. “What’s your problem?” he growled as he tried to reach out to grab her arm once again, only have his effort deflected by Akane, who grasped his forearm stepping forward slightly as she flipped the larger man over her shoulder and onto his back. 

By now the second man had gotten to his feet and as Akane released her grip on the man she had flipped, turning to leave she found herself being tackled to the ground by the taller, bulkier opponent. The pair of them rolled on the ground once more as she struggled against his hold which was this time more aggressive than before. He grunted, barely managing to fend off Akane’s continued efforts at escape, wincing when some of the blows of her feet and knees connected with his lower limbs as he called out to his approaching companion. “Hurry up! She’s not going to come quietly! Give her the stuff we brought for the guards!”

Akane cried out, redoubling her efforts at escape as both men struggled to keep her pinned long enough for the drug the second man injected to take effect. Her vision slowly began to fade as her struggles weakened, and within a minute or two she was unconscious. 

The two men panted as they slowly eased their grip on the now unconscious inspector before lifting her up and quickly carrying her to the van. The first man climbed in the back setting to work blindfolding and tying up Akane as his partner climbed into the driver’s seat and drove away. “That was a lot harder than it was supposed to be. No one said anything about having to fight her to get her to come with us…” muttered the first man as he finished his work and moved up to sit in the passenger seat. “Let’s hurry up and get out of here. We took longer than planned.”

A little over two hours later Akane groaned softly as awareness slowly began to filter in as the effects of the drug faded. A series of jolts accompanied by the sensation of motion roughly shook her from her half-awake state and she tensed as the memory of what had occurred just before she lost consciousness returned. Adrenaline mixed with fear surged through Akane as she yanked at the cords binding her wrists and ankles trying to break free without success, before squeezing her eyes closed, panting as she tried to calm down and think clearly enough to find a way out of the situation she found herself in.

 _All right, think._ Akane instructed herself mentally as she rolled onto her side, letting her head fall sideways to rest on the floor beneath her as she reopened her eyes under the blindfold. _It feels like we’re moving, so I’m probably in a vehicle of some kind. So the jolts that woke me were probably from parts of the road that are damaged. Which likely means we’re already some distance from where I was captured since the roads there all seemed to be in good condition…_  
The brunette inspector closed her eyes beneath the blindfold, hoping to be able to recall some of the things Kiyoshiko had told her about navigating using an awareness of her surroundings. Extending her senses outward Akane slowly became aware of a feeling of warmth across her legs despite not being covered by the weight of a blanket. _…That heat, it might mean that there’s sunlight…_ thought Akane, rolling over to push herself across the floor a couple of feet before she extended her still bound hands toward where her legs had been, feeling warmth on the carpeting covering the floor as well. _…The floor is warm too, there must be a window nearby. If I could see outside, I might be able to see where I’m being taken at least…_

Akane twisted, rubbing the side of her face against the floor in an attempt to dislodge her blindfold. Before long she grimaced as she felt her cheek beginning to turn raw from the friction of the carpet, but continued her actions, gasping a few minutes later as she felt the blindfold begin to slip. With a few more minutes of effort Akane’s blindfold pulled partway onto her forehead, she grunted squeezing her eyes closed for a moment as light abruptly flooded her vision. Reopening her eyes Akane rolled onto her back, her bound hands beneath her as she pushed herself to a half sitting position against a box that was in the back of the vehicle beside her, looking toward her window for her first view of the outside since being captured. 

Her eyes widened as she took in the unfamiliar scenery. _…Just how long was I unconscious? It looks like we’re not even in the city anymore. Where in the world are they taking me?_ thought Akane fear beginning to swirl in the pit of her stomach as she took in the desert landscape made up of slight hilly rises covered in scrub brush, interspaced with low lying pipes paralleling the road, and black and orange or solid white painted machinery slowly rising and falling just beyond it.  
The otherwise barren view stretched out as far as she could see beyond the window. _We could be anywhere by now,… I don’t even see any houses or buildings. Even if I do escape, how in the world will I be able to find my way back?_ Biting her lip Akane closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm her breathing and thoughts enough to be able to devise some sort of plan. _No, I can’t think about that right now… There’s no one out here to help me, so I have to figure something out on my own. …First of all I have to get my feet and hands free…_

Akane reopened her eyes, her gaze moving around the back of the van, searching for some means of cutting through her bonds. After a few minutes her eyes lighted on a piece of metal sheet with a jagged edge and she scooted herself across the floor toward it, positioning the olive colored cord at her ankles against the ragged edge, flexing her knees to begin cutting through it.

Miles down the road Akane let her head fall back against the floor, panting in the intensifying heat generated by her efforts and the sunlight filtering through the window. She squeezed her eyes closed trying to block out the burn of the muscles in her legs and her growing fatigue. _…Am I going to be able to make it out of this? …Will I make it back home alive?_ thought Akane, her eyes beginning to sting as images of her parents, Ginoza and the others in Division One, and finally Kogami flitted through her minds-eye. She gasped, her eyes snapping open, a look of determination beginning to make its way onto her face. _…No. I can’t give up yet!_  
As she felt the vehicle beginning to slow Akane redoubled her efforts, a last jerk as the car came to a stop finally cut through the cord, freeing her. Akane scrambled to her knees, readying herself for an attempt at escape as soon as her captors opened the door. 

_This might be my only chance._ thought Akane her muscles tensing, as the door opened she sprang forward, the force of her action shoved the door back to collide with one of the two men. Akane fell to the ground her wearied legs giving way for a moment before she forced herself to her feet, intending to sprint away from the vehicle. She only managed to run a few yards before being hit from behind as one of the men tackled her, knocking her to the ground. Akane lashed out with her legs, twisting under his weight as she tried to free herself but the larger man was able to keep her pinned with his size as the second man approached and tied her legs once more. 

The pair of men roughly hauled Akane to her feet, half dragging her back to the van. “What happened?” asked one of the men as they guided her to sit on the back bumper, pulling her blindfold back into place once she was seated. “How’d she get her legs free?”

“Dunno.” muttered the second man, causing the vehicle to rock as he climbed into the back, looking around a bit before spotting the piece of metal that Akane had cut herself free with. He returned to the doors carrying it with him, and dropped to the ground. “Looks like she got herself free with this.” He said, holding it out to show the other man before tossing the damaged piece of metal away to one side of the road as he returned his attention to his partner. “You okay? Looks like she got you pretty good with the door.”

“M’fine. Let’s just get this over with.” replied the other, letting go of Akane with one hand. “Hand me the canteen.”

Akane tensed, her fingers clenching and unclenching nervously behind her now that she was once again unable to see what was coming. She jerked back as the smooth curved edge of the lip of the canteen was pressed against her mouth. At a command from the first man, the second man moved in to hold Akane still, keeping her from withdrawing as the canteen was pressed to her lips once more. After a moment it was tilted and cool water flooded her mouth, running down her chin. Akane’s eyes widened under the blindfold for a moment before she pressed her lips more tightly to the canteen, drinking thirstily. A few minutes later the canteen was withdrawn and Akane lowered her head, coughing a bit as she caught her breath.

“Come on, let’s get moving.” said one of the two men as they lifted her off the bumper, loading her back into the rear of the vehicle once more. 

“…Don’t give us anymore trouble if you know what’s good for you.” The other added to Akane, followed by the sound of the doors slamming shut before the men climbed into the front of the vehicle and it resumed its progress down the road.

Akane lowered her head to the floor, trying to relax and conserve her strength in preparation for what waited ahead at their destination. _…That will probably be my last chance. I need to be ready…_


	4. Chapter 4

After approximately another hour of travel Akane felt the vehicle come to a stop. She tensed readying herself to put up a fight, assuming they had reached their destination and her captors now intended to do more than simply check on her. The back doors to the van opened and Akane was grabbed by two sets of hands which pulled her out of the vehicle, supporting her weight as they carried her along between them for a short distance before taking her down a set of stairs.  
A soft exclamation followed their arrival as she was placed on a chair, her arms being pulled back to allow the back of the chair to come between them and rest against her back.

“What is the meaning of this?” demanded a male voice, accompanied by rapidly approaching footsteps. “Why is she tied up?” 

Akane did her best to focus on this new presence, who seemed to be in authority over the men who had brought her here, as their conversation continued. 

The sound of one of the men leaving, muttering under his breath about ‘having to let himself get kicked around by a girl’, could be heard before the remaining man replied. “You said to bring her here but not let her know where she was going. …And here she is.” 

“Then what happened to her face? I thought I was very clear that you were to bring her here but she was not to be harmed.” asked the authoritative, cultured sounding male who was speaking English, though traces of a faded, somehow familiar accent clung to his words. 

“She did that to herself. And she put up a fight to begin with so she didn’t give us much choice in tying her up.” muttered the voice one of the men who had been in the vehicle that brought her to this place, in reply. After a pause the voice continued, sounding a bit more sullen. “When we stopped to check on her she’d worked the blindfold off and got her legs free.” 

The first man murmured softly in response, sounding deep in thought for a moment, before issuing a command to her captor. “Go. Bring me the kit, now.”

Akane strained her ears as one set of footsteps left the room, returning a few minutes later. After a brief whispered exchange she was unable to make out, the steps retreated again. Hearing the sound of someone approaching, Akane tensed drawing back as much as she was able against the chair she was bound to, trying not to let her anxiousness take over. She flinched as something touched her cheek causing it to sting lightly, before gasping softly as she recognized the feathery sensation of a cotton ball being pressed to her injuries. 

“It’s all right. …My apologies. You were only meant to have been brought here without seeing where you were being taken.” began the cultured man’s voice, as he tended to her injuries. When he had finished the man paused and Akane felt his eyes studying her for a moment or two before he added. “I wanted to speak with you, however given the current situation it’s best that you not know where you are at the moment. …Are you able to understand me?”

Akane hesitated for a moment debating the wisdom of revealing that she had been able to understand everything that had been said in her presence so far, then nodded curtly in reply before adding, in the same language he had used. “Yes, I can speak English.” 

“Very well. …If you’ll allow me, I’m going to remove your blindfold now.” said the man, setting aside the first aid kit he had been using as he got to his feet.

The brunette inspector recoiled slightly as she felt someone leaning forward, looming over her for a moment before the blindfold was gently untied and removed. The man that had been speaking moved away, leaving her blinking in the suddenly bright light that filled her vision. As her eyes began to adjust Akane was able to begin making out the man’s form, cast in shadow by the brilliance of the lamp sitting on a desk that was placed against a wall behind him, as he lowered himself to sit in a chair in front of the desk, facing her. 

“Now then,… shall we talk?” He asked, surveying Akane who was frowning at him as he crossed one leg over the other, resting his folded hands on his knee. “I’m sorry I can’t remove your bonds just yet. It’s likely best for both of us until we’ve had an opportunity to discuss things a bit.”

Akane sat up a bit straighter in her chair, attempting to project a calm and confidence she didn’t entirely feel given her current position. “It seems as if you know who I am already,… but I feel it’s a bit difficult to have a proper discussion with someone when I don’t even know their name. Much less give them any of the trust it seems they’re attempting to gain.” She said, being careful to keep her voice firm and steady as she studied the man across from her. 

He was a tall, well built, middle aged man with short black hair that he wore a bit longer over his forehead and dark brown eyes that though hooded, as he was currently being careful to control his expressions, remained expressive and seemed gentle. 

“…Hmm…” murmured the man, tilting his head a bit as he contemplated Akane for several moments before seeming to come to a decision. “I suppose for now at least,… you may call me… Pathfinder.” 

For some reason as the man now identifying himself as Pathfinder spoke Akane found herself being strangely reminded of Professor Saiga. _…Something about his mannerisms maybe,… or the way he seems to study me before speaking?..._ thought Akane, trying to shake away the notion to keep from too quickly trusting the man simply because he reminded her of the retired professor, as she asked. “You say you wanted to talk,… then why did you have me abducted?” asked

“…Abduction,… wasn’t precisely the outcome I had envisioned when I instructed for you to be brought here. Unfortunately there was little other choice. …Surely you were able to see just how closely you were being watched and shielded from seeing anything more than what the governor wished you to see.” said Pathfinder, rubbing the back of his neck before shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair.

 _…So it wasn’t just overthinking… Someone really is trying to keep something about the situation here secret…_ thought Akane looking away slightly a hint of a frown coming to her face before she returned her attention to the man in front of her, her gaze intent. “…Be that as it may,… if it’s so important that you’re able to speak with me, why wouldn’t the governor allow it, or for a message to be passed along?”

“Because Inspector Tsunemori, you are a representative of Japan and the Sybil System. I have reason to believe that Governor Beckett is very eager to make a favorable impression on your government in the hope that he will be able to negotiate an agreement to implement the use of your Sybil System here, much as your government did last year in SEAUn.”  
Pathfinder’s frown deepened as he gazed across the room, his eyes seeming to focus on some distant point. “…So he would be very reluctant to allow such a representative to learn that his rule over this territory is at best, one that the people nominally support as long as he doesn’t interfere in their lives and permits them to largely self-rule. If the things I’ve heard are accurate, Sybil’s control would be unwelcomed or outright rejected by many of the people here once they became aware of them.”

 _It sounds as if he isn’t in support of the Sybil System being put into use here any more than the people he’s talking about. …Maybe he knows something about Harrison-san or the other illegal immigrant. Or he may in fact be the one who sent them…_ thought Akane remaining silent as she considered Pathfinder’s words once he had finished speaking, her gaze intent on the man’s slightly shadowed form.

“Now…” began Pathfinder after several minutes of silence had passed, breaking into Akane’s thoughts. “Since I have answered your questions Inspector Tsunemori, will you please answer mine? …Why have you come to California? Is it to help set up the governance of the Sybil System here?”

“No!” said Akane, her voice coming out with a bit more intensity than she had intended. She took a breath to steady herself, before shaking her head as she repeated herself in a softer voice. “No. …Setting up the Sybil System in NorAL isn’t why I’m here.” She shifted in the chair slightly, lightly pulling against the cord around her ankles as if to remind Pathfinder that she was still bound. “Untie me and I’ll explain the reason I was sent here.”

Pathfinder hesitated, his gaze lingering on her for several minutes as he studied her with a raised eyebrow. “Very well.” He said after nodding fractionally to himself, he then rose from his chair going over to a panel near his desk brightening the lights in the room. He made his way over to the chair Akane was seated in, circling around behind her and bending down to untie the cord around her wrists. 

Once her hands were free Akane rubbed at her wrists for a moment, watching as Pathfinder freed her legs as well before returning to his seat. He reached behind him to turn off the light on the desk as Akane keyed up pictures of Harrison and the man who had fought with Ginoza on her wrist link. As she looked at the group picture of the second man her eyes widened fractionally as she recognized her captors toward the back of the group. _I’m in the right place after all…_ she thought as she enlarged the picture to show only Harrison and the other man who had been in Japan.  
She rotated the holographic screen so Pathfinder could more easily see the image. “I came to find information on these two men. …They were found to be involved in criminal activity in Japan, in addition to their illegal entrance into the country. …Do you recognize either of them?”

“I see…” murmured Pathfinder keeping his gaze on Akane, deliberately not looking at the images on the screen. “And what will you do if you are able to find information on your men. …Have you come to make an arrest in that case Inspector?”

 

Akane shook her head, lowering her hands to rest in her lap. “I haven’t been given any orders regarding an arrest. And to my knowledge there currently isn’t an extradition agreement between our countries. I was only sent to gather information on them and their activities.”

After studying Akane for several minutes as if trying to determine her truthfulness Pathfinder nodded, his eyes at last falling to the picture displayed by her wrist link. A concerned look crossed his face for a moment before he schooled his expression to something nearing neutrality once more. “…Yes, I recognize them. …Can you tell me what hap-… about the crimes you believe they were involved in?”

“This man was killed, when the MWPSB was responding to an incident and he encountered and attacked an enforcer. We were unable to uncover his identity.” said Akane, indicating the larger of the two men. “Harrison-san was captured three months ago in connection with the abduction and murder of several women. Only his last victim, was recovered alive.”

“…What?...” murmured Pathfinder, looking at Akane with a horrified expression. “Do… you have any idea why he…” Pathfinder paused for a moment, shaking his head fractionally as he took a breath before continuing, beginning to bring his expression back under control again. “Did he explain why he abducted those women? …What happened to him afterwards?”

Akane looked up from the holo screen in surprise at Pathfinder’s reaction. Until now, he had appeared cautious and impassive for the most part, keeping his expressions and reactions carefully controlled. She hesitated then deactivated her wrist link’s screen sitting back in her chair, looking down at her hands as she began. “From what I know from when he was interviewed it seemed as if he was attempting to ‘rescue’ a woman that he believed may have been sent from NorAL to Japan as a child. …Unfortunately his crime coefficient rose after he was sent to isolation and he was executed.” Looking up after a pause Akane added in a low voice. “…I’m sorry…”

Pathfinder rose abruptly from his chair as Akane finished, making a soft choked off sound as he turned his back to Akane moving taking several steps away before resting his hand on the edge of his desk to lean heavily on it. “…Those women and their families. How-… how could you do something like this?...” He murmured under his breath, almost too quietly for Akane to hear as he stood with his head lowered and shoulders slumped. 

Frowning a bit Akane rose from her chair, taking a half step toward the taller man before stopping. “…Did you know him well? …Do you have any idea who this woman might have been that he was looking for?”

“…Since he was a child. …His father was killed in a battle along the border of the Plains Territory just after he was born. …And after his mother passed away Evan lived with my wife and I…” sighed Pathfinder his voice sounding a bit husky. His posture straightened a bit in response to Akane’s aborted approach though he did not turn around, his gaze wandering to a small framed picture on the desktop. “…He may have been looking for my daughter,… I don’t know for sure. Though if I had had any idea that he would have done something like this, that he would end up-… I would never have-…” Pathfinder broke off, shaking his head.

“…I see…” murmured Akane quietly. “…If it’s any consolation I don’t believe that he intended for the women he abducted to die. It seemed as if it was an accident.” Akane fell silent, following Pathfinder’s gaze to the picture frame on his desk. The picture showed a much younger version of Pathfinder, along with a woman with wavy black hair whose features seemed oddly familiar and a young girl with black hair and dark brown eyes. Taking in the woman’s face more carefully Akane caught her breath, turning her attention to Pathfinder once more. “…This might seem like an odd question, but is your daughter blind?”

“She is,…” Pathfinder lifted his head as he turned his gaze sharpening as he took in Akane’s expression. “Why?”

Akane straightened a bit under the intensity of the man’s gaze. “…I think that Harrison-san, really did find who he was looking for. …And she’s someone I know.”

“You know her?” Pathfinder asked his expression registering surprise as he caught his breath, taking a half step toward Akane, stretching out a hand toward her slightly. His voice was still a bit husky as he resumed speaking. “…Would it be possible-…? Could I talk with her?”

“…I-…” Akane hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I think that might be possible. …But, and… I hope you’ll understand. I want to be sure that you really are who you say you are first. For Kiyoshiko’s sake if nothing else.” _She said that she thought that her parents may be dead. It would be wrong to suddenly tell her that they’re not, without being absolutely certain first._ added Akane mentally.

Pathfinder nodded as he spread his arms out to his sides, his gaze fixed on Akane. “Of course. …Whatever you need.”

“All right.” Akane murmured as she entered a command into her wrist link, a blue light issuing from it as she scanned Pathfinder. After a moment Akane frowned slightly studying the holographic screen. “…I’m sorry. I can’t connect to the MWPSB mainframe,… I need to boost the signal somehow.”

“…I see…” murmured Pathfinder, letting his hands fall back to his sides. He frowned, thinking for a few minutes before coming to some sort of decision. “I may know of a solution to that problem, …if you’re willing. …Please, come with me Inspector.”

Akane nodded fractionally and followed Pathfinder as he led the way up the stairs and out of the building. She looked around as they walked across a cleared central area surrounded by smaller buildings to another cement building with a pair of tall towers standing nearby overlooking the complex. Inside the building a faint electronic hum could be heard, creating an undertone to the murmur of voices coming from further down the hall. They stepped into a large well lit room, which was obviously a computer lab, and one whose size had the potential to incite jealousy in Shion despite the older technology that filled most of it along with cobbled together equipment that looked a bit newer. Scattered throughout the room were groups of people bent over various keyboards and bits of machinery engrossed in the projects they were working on.

Pathfinder looked around for a moment, before reaching out to catch the sleeve of a young woman as she passed by. In response to a murmured question she pointed toward the far corner of the room as a middle aged woman with wavy black hair pulled back in a braid stepped out from behind a bank of computer servers, giving instructions to the young man walking beside her who was writing furiously on the clipboard he was carrying.

“Ah,… there she is.” murmured Pathfinder half to himself, before glancing over at Akane. “Wait here a moment please.” He said before moving to intercept the woman, waving off the assistant as he took the woman’s elbow drawing her off to one side as he spoke quietly to her. A soft, cut off cry drew the attention of several of the other people in the lab to the pair. Akane watched as Pathfinder shook his head in response to their glances. He put his arm around the woman’s shoulders as she covered her mouth with one hand, drawing her close for a moment before he continued speaking, seeming to ask her something.  
Regaining her composure the raven haired woman wiped at her eyes with one hand as she nodded, saying something in response. Pathfinder drew back, touching the slightly shorter woman’s cheek for a moment before turning to lead her over to where Akane was, still keeping an arm around her. 

“Inspector Tsunemori.” said Pathfinder as he and the dark haired woman came over to where Akane was. “This is my wife Chiori, our resident computer and technology expert. She’s the one who’s responsible for building everything we have here.”

Chiori glanced over at Pathfinder with a slight smile as she shook her head before turning her attention to Akane. Up close the resemblance the dark haired woman had to Kiyoshiko was even more noticeable. “It’s nice to meet you Inspector.” said the woman bowing slightly to Akane before straightening and holding out her hand. “My husband says that you need to be able to boost the signal on your wrist link? …Our technology may be a bit outdated but if you’ll let me see your wrist link I think I’ll be able to connect it to our system and strengthen the signal enough for you to be able to get through.”

“Oh… um…” Akane hesitated a moment, drawing the wrist on which her wrist link was worn back toward her chest for a moment cupping her hand over it protectively before shaking her head a bit at her reaction. Her fingers moved to the clasp on the communications device and undid it, handing the wrist link over to Chiori. “Of course.” finished Akane, though she was still not quite sure about the wisdom of letting her wrist link be examined. 

“It will be all right Inspector.” said Chiori offering Akane a reassuring smile. “I’ll be very careful with it.”

Akane nodded, watching as Chiori carried her wrist link over to a computer, her assistant returning to her side once more as the two of them studied it for a few minutes before beginning to connect various wires to it as they attempted to connect it to their computer and initiate Akane’s call. 

While she and Pathfinder waited for the connection to be made between Akane’s wrist link and the computer system, Pathfinder looked over at Akane. “…Can you tell me,… what does Kiyoshiko look like now?”

“…She’s tall, and her hair is long and kind of wavy. It comes a little past her shoulders. …Um-…” began Akane shifting her attention from where Pathfinder’s wife and an assistant were working with the computer to see that the man himself was visibly hanging on her words. A slight smile came to Akane’s lips as she reached for a pocket on the side of her pants, undoing the closure on it before drawing out a photo. “I have a picture …Would you like to see?”

“Please.” murmured Pathfinder softly as he carefully took the photo from Akane, his eyes moving over the faces of the people in it. It was a copy of the photo that had been taken at the Christmas party over a year ago. 

Akane leaned forward to point out where Kiyoshiko stood to one side of her in the picture, with Ginoza’s arms wrapped around Kiyoshiko’s waist from behind as the raven haired woman smiled while laughing. “There she is.”

“…Just like her mother.” breathed Pathfinder, almost too quietly to be heard, as he brushed his fingers over the photograph looking at it for several more minutes before clearing his throat. His posture straightened as his expression closed over a bit and he started to hand the picture back to Akane who shook her head. 

“It’s okay. You should keep it.” said Akane as she lowered her hand. “I can make another copy.”

Pathfinder opened his mouth to speak, when he was interrupted by a shout from the assistant. “I think we made the connection!” 

Akane and Pathfinder crossed the few steps to the computer, and Akane looked up to the slightly static-y image of the MWPSB logo on the screen. “Karanomori-san, can you hear me?” asked Akane.

The logo faded away to reveal Shion sitting at her desk, swiveling back around at the sound of Akane’s voice her expression showing slight surprise. “Akane-chan, is that you? …Where have-?”

“Tsunemori, are you all right?” interrupted Ginoza, surging up from Shion’s couch to stand just behind the analyst. “We tried to contact you to check on your progress, but couldn’t reach you. And the government in NorAL refused to put us through. They would only say that you were unavailable.”

“Karanomori-san, I’m sending you a scan of a DNA sample. I want you to check it against our records to see if you can find a match.” said Akane reaching out to key a command into her wrist link which sat on the edge of a console connected to one of the computers, as she shook her head to put off giving the answer to Ginoza’s question for the moment, though she offered a reassuring smile as she continued. “Ginoza-san, do you think you’d be able to reach Kiyoshiko-chan now?”

“I believe so. …It should be her day off.” said Ginoza nodding frowning a bit as he nodded. 

“Akane-chan?” asked Shion her fingers already beginning to move over her keyboard, checking the sample Akane had sent her against the records in the system. “I’ll have the results for you in a few seconds,… but what is this all about?”

“I’m fine. It’s a long story.” said Akane shaking her head, glancing toward Pathfinder and his wife briefly as she spoke. “…But the short explanation is that I think I’ve located Kiyoshiko-chan’s parents. I want to make certain though before I go too much further.”

“Are you sure?” asked Ginoza his eyes widening. At Akane’s nod of confirmation, he glanced to the side briefly pressing his lips together for a moment before nodding once. “I see…” murmured the dark haired enforcer quietly, folding his arms across his chest as he stepped back from Shion’s desk a bit. _…What’s wrong with me? …I should be happy for her, I know how much something like this means. …But if Tsunemori really has located Kiyoshiko’s family and they’re alive. …What will happen now?..._ thought Ginoza biting his lip slightly as he keyed Kiyoshiko’s number into his wrist link, an ache beginning to settle into the pit of his stomach. 

Shion glanced over her shoulder at Ginoza for a moment before returning her attention to Akane as the results came through. “Akane-chan, it’s a match.”

“Thank you Karanomori-san. Please remove the record of the search from the system.” instructed Akane nodding. “And now, if Ginoza-san has been able to reach Kiyoshiko-chan I’d like you to connect the two calls on a separate, secure channel.”

“Already ahead of you Akane-chan, it will only be for a few minutes though. Any longer and it may get picked up by the system.” Shion replied already keying commands into her computer, she looked back toward where Ginoza was having a murmured conversation, and at the dark haired enforcer’s nod entered a final command before sitting back in her chair with a satisfied smile. “Done.”

“Good work.” said Akane smiling as she settled in to talk for a few minutes while Kiyoshiko and her parents spoke via another computer set up nearby. “…How are things going there?”

“…Things have been quiet for the most part. Apart from a small spike in the area stress level near Shinjuku the day after you left, but it turned out to be only a minor incident.” Shion shrugged as she lit a cigarette, blowing out a cloud of smoke before continuing. “…And Shimotsuki-san and Inspector Itsuki have been getting along famously. They’re like two peas in a pod. …I hope you’re coming back soon Akane-chan.”

“I see. Try to hold on a while longer…” said Akane offering the blonde analyst a small smile. “There are still some things here that I want to find out more about.”

As Akane had been speaking with Shion, Ginoza had stepped closer moving to stand behind the analyst’s chair. He looked up at the screen, studying Akane’s image with a slight frown. “Do you know when you’re going to return?”

Akane shook her head as she shifted her focus to the dark haired enforcer. “… I’m not sure yet when I’ll be back Ginoza-san. I’m sorry.”

Ginoza sighed as he nodded, folding his arms across his chest. “I see. …Then, be careful Tsunemori.”

“I will…” began Akane smiling in response, before being interrupted by Shion. 

“Time is almost up Akane-chan.” said Shion, as she leaned forward once more to rest her fingers on her keyboard as Akane half turned and signaled to Pathfinder to wrap up his conversation. 

As Shion’s fingers moved to close the channel and erase the record of it Ginoza retreated to the far side of the room, murmuring softly into his wrist link. The blonde analyst looked back up at Akane’s image on her screen as Akane spoke again.

“I should go too now.” said Akane turning forward once more. “Try to keep everyone out of trouble until I get back. …I’ll try to be back as soon as I can.”

“Okay.” said Shion, leaning back in her chair with a smirk. “…I’ve got everything under control here so there’s no need to rush, Akane-chan.”

Akane breathed a laugh, shaking her head as she lifted her hand to close the channel. “All right. Thank you Karanomori-san.”

Once the screen went dark on Shion’s screen as Akane cut the connection, Shion took a moment to clear the record before speaking.  
“At least we know Akane-chan is okay now.” said the blonde analyst half turning to look over her shoulder to where Ginoza was just looking up from his wristlink after ending his call with Kiyoshiko. His expression was closed off in a studied neutrality despite the almost imperceptible inward curl of his shoulders.  
“…Are you all right, Ginoza-san?” asked Shion, raising an eyebrow slightly. 

The dark haired enforcer glanced sideways toward her for a moment, looking almost as if he had forgotten she was there, before his posture straightened. “Yes, fine.” replied Ginoza, nodding once before turning and leaving the lab.


	5. Chapter 5

After she ended the call Akane looked over to where Pathfinder and his wife were. They stood with their arms around one another, Pathfinder’s head was bowed as he spoke quietly to Chiori, who clung to him and was obviously crying as he stroked her hair. Feeling as if she were intruding, Akane looked away once more letting her gaze wander around the lab for a few minutes until she heard footsteps approaching. She looked over as Pathfinder came up to her, his expression composed though his eyes too appeared a bit watery. 

Pathfinder cleared his throat slightly before speaking. “Inspector,… thank you. …I don’t know how we can begin to repay you for this…”

“No it’s all right.” said Akane, holding up her hands slightly as she shook her head. “That’s really not necessary.” 

“Hmm…” murmured Pathfinder, a slight smile coming to his lips as he looked down at Akane. “Then at least allow me to make up for the way you were initially brought here. …And introduce to myself, properly this time, …I’m Hiro Michi.” He said as he extended his hand for Akane to shake.

“I’m Akane Tsunemori.” said Akane, smiling as she shook Michi’s hand. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tsunemori-san.” Hiro Michi nodded, still smiling slightly as he released Akane’s hand after a few moments. “…I’m sure you’d like to freshen up after everything we’ve put you through. Please do my wife and I the honor of becoming our guest.” He continued, bowing to Akane. “If you’ll accompany me, I’ll show you to our home, so that you can clean up and change clothes if you wish.”

Akane’s face heated slightly before glanced down at her clothing which was stained with both sweat, and dirt from her struggles with the men who had brought her here. Looking back up at Michi, she smiled sheepishly, rubbing at the back of her head. “Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”

Michi nodded, turning to lead the way out of the lab with Akane following behind him. He led her along a road that looked as if it may have once been paved but had long since turned to gravel, to a house that stood at the far side of a field amid a cluster of houses of varying size. 

Opening the door Michi led Akane to a small but comfortable bedroom that was just across the hall from a bathroom. “You’ll find assorted clothing in the closet there, feel free to take whatever fits. The bathroom is just across the hall.” He offered Akane a slight smile, then started to withdraw from the room as he resumed speaking, before coming to a stop in the doorway to turn back to Akane. “I think you’ll be able to find whatever you might need. …There are other things I need to attend to, so I’ll leave you to it.”  
“You’re welcome to stay here for however long you wish,… but if you want to find me when you’re finished simply ask someone.” A bemused smile crossed his face for a moment. “It’s rare that at least half the people in the village don’t know where I am at any given moment.” Michi offered Akane a nod then turned, making his way down the hall and out of the house. 

Akane stood where she was until she heard the faint sound of the door closing then stepped toward the closet sorting through the clothing inside for several minutes before selecting a simple shirt and pair of pants which she carried across the hall with her to the bathroom, to change into once she had washed up. _…I did want to find out what a country without Sybil was like. I guess this will probably be my best opportunity to see for myself…_ thought Akane as she closed the door behind her.

After cleaning up Akane left Michi’s house, deciding to explore the village on her own since it seemed as if the area was safe enough that the middle aged man felt she would be fine locating him on her own. As she walked, taking in the small clustered houses and scattered fields interspersed with people talking or tending to tasks such as hanging laundry on clotheslines, and children playing. _…It really is like something out of an old story like Kiyoshiko said…_ thought Akane, also taking notice of the seeming lack of an abundance of technology in sharp contrast to what was typical in Japan. _It’s kind of nice though, and the people seem pleasant._ added Akane mentally, nodding in reply as a few of the people she passed waved or nodded to her. 

Eventually Akane spotted a small gathering of people near a larger white building with a stucco roof that had obviously been repaired many times and made her way toward it. Under an overhanging portion of the roof that extended out at a right angle from the middle of the building were two men on either side of a table engaged in a discussion that seemed to be becoming heated, with Michi standing nearby just beginning to open his mouth to interrupt the men. He spoke to both of them at first, then each in turn, his words seeming to deescalate the situation. As Akane listened she realized that the two men were the representatives of two nearby towns and that Michi was acting as a mediator between them as they attempted to come to an agreement over the handling of the resources in their area. 

For a time Akane lingered nearby but as the discussion dragged on Akane found her attention drawn away from Hiro Michi by the sound of a strangely familiar voice which caught her attention. Her eyes widened a bit as the identity of the speaker came to her. “K-kogami-san?!” she murmured half under her breath. Akane began scanning the area with a slight frown, trying to spot the source, her eyes finally settling on a small group of men intermixed with a couple of boys who appeared to be in their teens clustered around an aging laptop.

While she had been distracted searching for the source of Kogami’s voice, Michi had finished his mediation between the two town leaders and made his way over to where Akane was. “What is it Tsunemori-san?” he asked. 

Akane turned abruptly, startled out of her thoughts by Michi’s voice, to find that he had come up behind her without her notice. She shook her head before motioning toward the group around the laptop. “What are they listening to?”

“…Hmm?” murmured Michi, looking toward where Akane had gestured. He listened for a few minutes before making a soft sound in his throat as he determined what they were hearing. “Ah,… that’s Hound. One of the people with him occasionally compiles video of his speeches when he talks about what is occurring in SEAUn and puts them online. …However I believe that is one of his older reports.” He looked back to Akane, raising an eyebrow slightly. “…Why do you ask?”

Akane shook her head, still wearing a faint trace of a frown on her otherwise neutral expression. “What do you know about him?”

Michi turned toward Akane, studying her for a few minutes before a hint of a smile briefly curled one corner of his lips. “For the most part all that is known of him is that he is a man from Japan who is currently working with a rebel group in SEAUn. …However, I do know a bit more about him beyond that, such as that he once had some connection with the police force in Japan and so was familiar with the state of affairs there beyond what an ordinary citizen under Sybil may be aware of. He and I first encountered one another on an overseas based message board used by former professors, journalists and those that were decided to be unnecessary by Sybil. We were both attempting to keep tabs on what is going on there, and began conversing and sharing information.” He paused watching Akane for a moment before continuing. “…However it has been about a month since our last contact. …I believe the group he was with was being forced to relocate their base of operations.”

 _…So Kogami-san is still alive. Or was for sure until at least a month ago…_ thought Akane closing her eyes for a moment. “…I see…” she sighed as she reopened them, looking over at Michi. “How did you know about a message board like that?”

“Before Sybil became fully implemented in Japan, I was once a professor of history at a university in Tokyo.” replied Michi looking over at Akane, his face impassive though something in his expression said that he anticipated some sort of reaction to the information.

“You taught history at a university?” murmured Akane softly raising her eyebrows a bit in surprise, waiting for Michi to nod in response before continuing in the same soft tone. “…Then you would know something like what Japan was like in the past.”

“…Do they not even teach history in schools anymore?” asked Professor Michi, looking at Akane with a slight frown.

For a moment Akane’s mind went back to portions of a conversation with Yayoi from what seemed like a very long time ago in the cafeteria of the MWPSB. _‘…Once the data is online, it’s easy for the system to manage it. I heard that when Masaoka-san was a child, history was almost a required subject. …However this country is currently dominated by the Sibyl System, which we are told is the ultimate system that brings about a perfect society. …In addition if you research history in depth, you’ll find out that the current database is full of holes. All the data that’s easy to obtain is there to assure us that the creation of this society we live in was inevitable. Any data that even hints at the possibility that other systems or ideologies may have been suitable for us, is hidden away as if it never existed.’_ the female enforcer had said, a revelation that at the time had surprised Akane. _…Now though with everything I’ve found out since then,… maybe it makes a lot more sense…_

Shaking herself free from the memory and her thoughts, Akane shook her head in response, then paused for a moment before speaking. “…Well, they do a little, but I’m not sure if there might be more than what I’ve heard. …For instance I didn’t know anything really about NorAL at all before being sent here.”

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised given the sort of changes that were taking place as the Sybil System was given more control.” said Michi, scoffing a bit as he shook his head. After a moment he returned his attention to Akane, motioning for her to follow him as he turned and began walking toward where a field was being prepared for planting by people who were using hoes and plows. “Come with me, there’s still a lot of work to get done today. …It’s been quite a while since I’ve taught a history lesson,… but I think I can manage both.” He glanced over his shoulder with a smile to make sure Akane was following as he began. “To begin with, NorAL wasn’t always called that, and it wasn’t a group of disparate nations the way it is now. What we call NorAL now in the past was made up of only two countries called the United States and Canada...”

Several hours later most of the workers had left the field and returned to their homes. At first Akane had attempted to work alongside Professor Michi as he taught but before long had begun to overheat and tire, unused to the strain of such physically demanding labor. Now she was seated along the edge of the plowed rows sipping at a canteen of water as the professor continued his lecture while working, pausing now and then to answer Akane’s questions.

“…So was it just that some of the people disagreed with the leadership in the United States because the president was doing whatever he could to increase the wealth of the country, even if it was thought that other countries might have been more heavily involved in the government than the people liked? …Like you say that Governor Beckett is trying to do now by wanting to introduce the Sybil System here in hopes that this territory can become more prosperous?” asked Akane her expression intent as she set aside the canteen, leaning forward over her crossed legs, elbows resting on her knees.

“That may have been a small part of what started the trouble in the first place but there was a bit more to it than just that. Another is that once people began to disagree they seemed to forget that the eyes of the rest of the world were watching what was happening here, sometimes a lot more closely than we were paying attention to any other country.” said Professor Michi as he glanced over at Akane for a moment. “The citizens in the United States also got complacent, believing they would be fine and that even if they didn’t like the government it would still protect them and work in their favor if there were any outside threats. While at the same time they were busy tearing it and each other apart from the bottom up. …Despite being called the United States it was reaching a point where increasingly the only thing united about those states was the name and the people within the various factions that were each trying to take the other out.” 

“I see…” murmured Akane softly, watching as the professor swung his hoe, turning up a bit more fresh earth before he continued.

“Then by the time any of them did notice, just about every other country was so nervous about the United States as a whole, all it took was a few misunderstandings and some hot headed political leaders, from this and other countries with their fingers on the trigger buttons, to finish tearing everything apart. And then the second civil war started after the government was gone.” A soft, self-deprecating laugh slipped from his lips before he continued with a wry smile. “And that’s probably why apart from Canada, the majority of NorAL is pretty much persona non grata with the rest of the world. They still don’t trust us, and know that we’ve pretty much wiped ourselves out and are still too busy infighting to be of any use. Japan is the first country in years to show any real interest in anything here.”

Michi paused for a moment as the remaining workers in the field came over to where he and Akane were. The professor spent some time in discussion with them, occasionally pointing at or gesturing toward various parts of the field, as he and the others planned out what work needed to be done the next day. Finally the workers waved goodnight as they turned and headed for their homes, and Michi returned his attention to Akane apologizing for the interruption.

Akane shook her head at the man’s apology, but quickly followed up with a question. “…But then how does that fit with what you’re doing here?... Aren’t you doing the same thing as the people that were a part of the United States in a way? If your governor is really interested in importing the Sybil System, and you’re here preparing to resist it. Isn’t that the same thing?” asked Akane frowning a bit.

“…I guess in some ways it isn’t all that different.” Michi paused in his work, propping his arms up on the end of his hoe as he gazed off into the distance at the setting sun. “…Maybe at this point in time, the main difference is that I’m still hoping it won’t be necessary… To begin with I’m not certain we’re ready to have much to do with other countries yet, with or without the Sybil System. We still need to finish putting this country back together first and we need to do it ourselves. The times in the past when this country was the strongest was when everyone as individuals, not just at the mandate of the government, was working together for a common goal. Secondly, just what kind of government it is, does matter. …At one time perhaps I would have even welcomed the Sybil System here for the peace that it might have brought, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. But the more I hear about some things in Japan now, the less I’m sure. …One thing that you learn from history is that sometimes there may be some governments that just shouldn’t be allowed to continue exist the way they are.” 

He shook his head, lifting his arms from his hoe to resume his work for the last few minutes while there was still light. “…I guess all I really want, is to make this a place where my daughter could have grown up safely, and at the same time had the freedom to choose what kind of life she wanted to live without every part of it being pre-determined by something or someone else. Or all but taken away entirely if someone else decided there was a chance she might cause trouble for them in the future.” Hiro Michi looked over at Akane, laughing softly to himself. “…But maybe that’s just trying to have cake and eat it too. I doubt there’s any man-made government that will ever be completely perfect for everyone in it. We just all have to try to work together and do the best we can.”

“And you really think that something like that is possible, even without something like the Sybil System in place to ensure that there will still be law and order? Even given the state of most of the world, and how you say that things are in a lot of the rest of NorAL?” asked Akane, studying Michi intently as she spoke. 

Professor Michi glanced toward the horizon where the sun had at last disappeared from sight, then lifted his hoe shrugging slightly before resting it on his shoulder as he turned toward home, waving for Akane to follow as she got to her feet. “That’s why I do what I do here. Sharing food and other things when there’s some to spare, listening to and sharing different beliefs and ideas, and trying to help people negotiate with each other. To try and make things better, while still being ready to act if it ends up being needed. Something like protests, or starting fights and hurting people aren’t going to do any good and are more likely to harm than anything. Neither change nor morality are something that can be mandated by the government and truly accepted by everyone. It’s something that has to come from the people living under the government, when they try to understand each other’s perspective and work together to come to a consensus. Even if we don’t always agree on everything.”


	6. Chapter 6

Akane and Professor Michi returned to his house just as night fell, leaving the village in near total darkness save for the light of the moon. After washing up they sat around the table in the small but homey dining room just off the kitchen as Chiori served them stew made with vegetables that the villagers had grown themselves. 

“Here, Tsunemori-chan.” said Chiori as she handed Akane a basket filled with slices of corn bread. “…I hope my husband didn’t lecture you too much. Once he finds an interested student he tends to forget that he’s not a university professor anymore with a class room full of students and not know when to stop and give them a break.” said the raven haired woman, her light hazel eyed gaze flitting toward Hiro for a moment as she nudged him with an elbow, her smile teasing.

“No, it was interesting.” said Akane, shaking her head as she took the basket putting a couple of slices of the bread on her plate before passing the basket to the Professor. “And informative.” 

“Thank you.” said the professor bowing his head slightly to Akane with a solemn expression as he took the basket, though his eyes glittered with restrained amusement as his gaze moved to Chiori for a moment. 

Chiori laughed softly as she shrugged, her smile widening a bit. “All right, if you say so. I was going to try to rescue you and tell him to give you a rest but…” 

“All right, all right… I’ve finished for the night anyway.” retorted the professor chuckling slightly as he shook his head, before nodding toward Akane. “Go ahead and eat Tsunemori-san.” 

Akane smiled a bit to herself as she listened to the pair’s banter, and picked up her spoon to begin eating at the professor’s instruction to do so. Light hearted conversation soon filled the room as Hiro and Chiori entertained Akane with stories of life in the village and Akane shared details of some of the things that she had found out about Kiyoshiko’s formative years.

After a time a slight lull settled into the companionable chatter, and Professor Michi looked across the table at Akane raising an eyebrow as he studied her with a slight smile. “What is it Tsunemori-san? You’ve looked for a while now as if there’s something that you want to ask.”

Akane looked up, her expression showing surprise before nodding. She hesitated for several moments, taking a breath, then spoke.  
“This may not be my place to ask but I haven’t been able to keep from wondering… Why would you have sent Kiyoshiko back to Japan by herself? I understand that it was safer there but if you chose to leave in the first place why would you send her back at all, especially if you weren’t with her?” asked Akane a touch of hesitation in her words as she nudged the vegetables in her stew with her spoon before scooping up a spoonful as she looked up at Hiro and Chiori. 

Michi’s expression froze for a moment before being replaced by a frown. The raven haired Professor hesitated, looking across the table at Akane before putting down his utensil and pushing his bowl away. “Because it wasn’t possible.”

Akane frowned slightly at his curiously curt response, lowering her spoon from her mouth without taking a bite. “What do you mean?”

“I assume given that you say history isn’t really taught in Japan anymore you also may not know much some of the details of what occurred when the Sybil System was nearing full implementation.” began Michi, before continuing as Akane shook her head in reply.  
“Around that time, there were many people that were exiled or suddenly un-employed as their former jobs were discontinued in preparation for the System’s ascendance. Such as critics, farmers, some government officials, and teachers… People that would no longer be necessary under the new system. As a history professor, the son of a farmer, and someone who felt that the system being given such a great extent of control may be unwise, I found there was suddenly no longer even a place for me in Japan…” Michi’s voice trailed off, his gaze wandering to one of the pictures on the wall as Chiori reached out to place her hand on his arm.  
“As a scientist Chiori would have been allowed to stay but she chose to come with me into exile. …When Kiyo was hurt, a lot of things were still unknown about what life would be like under the system and what exactly its judgements meant in terms of latent criminality. …There was so little time to determine how to proceed… we finally decided to hope that things wouldn’t be as bad as we feared and that the risk would be worth it in comparison to the safety Japan offered. It wasn’t until later that we found out more about Sybil and came to worry that the trauma she had already been through would have caused her to become a victim of the system instead.”

“… I see…” murmured Akane softly, biting her lip slightly as she looked down at her bowl. 

Chiori nudged Hiro’s side lightly, before looking over at Akane with a smile as she reached out to touch the brunette inspector’s arm. “That’s why we’re so grateful to you Tsunemori-san. It’s because of you we know now that Kiyoshiko is all right. …So please, don’t let what happened in the past upset you.”

After a pause Akane looked back up, taking in Chiori’s reassuring smile for several moments before nodding, smiling a bit in return. Chiori nodded in reply then sat back, firmly directing the discussion to more pleasant topics as the conversation around the table resumed. Later that night after dinner Akane settled into the bed in the guest room, staring at the moonlight filtering through the window for several hours as she thought over everything that she had seen and heard that day before finally falling asleep.

The next day Akane climbed into the van that had brought her to Michi’s village, along with a few of the villagers and Professor Michi, for the trip back to Santa Barbara. This time rather than being tied up in the back Akane sat in one of the middle seats, alongside the Professor. After traveling for a while, around midday the man driving the van pulled over to the side of the dirt road, to allow the group to stretch their legs and to break for lunch before continuing on the final leg of the journey. 

“What exactly did you mean before when you’d said ‘there may be some governments that just shouldn’t be allowed to continue exist the way they are’? If a government is the only one you have isn’t it better than there being no government at all if you don’t have an alternative one to replace it with?” asked Akane, looking over at Michi with a slight frown as he handed her a canteen. 

“Maybe… but maybe not.” began the middle aged man, studying Akane briefly as she took the offered canteen and sipped from it. “…Before I answer that first let me ask you something. What do you think about the Sybil System Tsunemori-san? You’ve heard a fair amount from me already but I haven’t heard yet what you think about it.”

Akane looked over at the professor for a moment with a startled expression, she hesitated for a few minutes trying to organize her uncertain and somewhat conflicting thoughts and feelings on the subject before beginning.  
“I… I think that even though the system may have its flaws, that Japan and its society may not be able to survive without it. That without the system social order would collapse and fall into chaos…” Akane paused rising for where she was sitting to walk a few paces away as she thought for a moment. _…At least until I came here I never thought there was anywhere that really did have any kind of social order at all. Even SEAUn seemed like there was only some order there because of the Sybil system being set up in Shambala float._  
“I know some people might disagree but it’s because of the Sybil system that the people of Japan are able to enjoy the happy and peaceful lives they have now. It might not be perfect but right now it’s all we have, and no one in Japan knows of any different way of doing things. …So even with the system’s flaws no one would have any idea what to do other than accept it,… or at best try to work on improving and correcting those flaws by working within the system itself.” Akane’s free hand half curled into a fist for a moment before she sighed taking a step back toward where Professor Michi was sitting before sinking down on a rock, lowering her gaze to the ground at her feet. “…At least that’s all I can think of trying to make things better…”

When Akane had finished Hiro Michi sat silently for several minutes, contemplating her words as he studied the petite inspector who had moved to sit on rock nearby. “I wonder Tsunemori-san… you say you want to improve the system by working from within… but is such a thing possible in this case without the removal of the system itself? Will the system allow you to make the changes to it that you wish?” asked Michi, his voice contemplative as he chose his next words. “Granted this is more my wife’s area of expertise but,… While the system may be a computer, even a computer must be programmed by someone and is only capable of carrying out the object of its programmer’s design. …Are you certain that the programmer’s purpose for the system was truly what the Sybil System is perceived to be and that it will limit itself to that?”

Akane paused, frowning a bit as she considered what she knew about the Sybil System placing it alongside the actions that the system had taken in Japan and SEAUn, at least those she was aware of, and what she had seen of the lives of the people in the society that had formed under it. “The Sybil System’s mission is to bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people…” 

“And does it do what it’s promised?” asked Michi, looking over at Akane as he ate the last of his sandwich, before carefully folding and tucking the paper it had been wrapped in away in a pocket. 

“…Well…” began Akane her expression thoughtful as she rested her arm on her legs, holding the canteen in a loose grip. “I guess that it does… It seems as if the people in Japan, and now SEAUn, live peaceful lives. …Most people anyway…” 

“I see…” murmured Michi nodding. “But you said most people… what about the ones who don’t live ‘peaceful’ lives? What happens to the people who may not have even committed a crime, but still have been deemed unworthy of living a peaceful life under Sybil?”

Akane looked over at him, frowning a bit as she started to hand the canteen back to the professor. “You mean… the people who are latent criminals…”

“Yes.” said Michi nodding, as he took the canteen from Akane, handing it to one of the other men. “There was at least one other government in the past that on the surface seemed entirely benevolent, as it continued expanding its reach with the promise of giving its people ‘living space’. It started out innocently enough, even many of the citizens there later claimed ignorance of what had been going on. …It wasn’t until you looked beneath the surface at how those it considered undesirable were treated, at what sorts of rights and freedoms were taken away, and what the government did to supposedly achieve its promise. That you realized that it wasn’t as benevolent as it seemed.”

Akane folded her hands in her lap once they were empty, leaning forward a bit, her expression intent as she focused on the Professor’s words. “…And what happened? …To that system of government…”

Michi frowned, looking off into the distance as he spoke. “At first it was accepted as a legitimate form of government. Even as one that would restore its country to a position of glory and wealth. And for a time it did, so it was allowed to continue as it was. At least for a number of years, until what was going on beneath the surface came to light. But eventually, many of the world powers at the time banded together in a war against it, as leaving it alone would have done more harm than good. It was destroyed. …but only after millions, entire groups of people, had died…”

A soft breath escaped Akane as she drew back slightly before recovering, looking at Michi with a frown. “…That hasn’t happened in Japan though.” _At least not exactly…_

“I realize the state of things under Sybil may not be entirely the same.” said Professor Michi, his expression gentling a bit as he looked back to Akane. “But aspects of it, seem uncomfortably similar to me, if they were allowed to go just a bit further beyond what I’ve heard they are like now. …The question here at least in part comes down to, …Is the happiness of only some people now, worth the potential risk of what Sybil might eventually become? And is it enough to justify the actions the system may use to maintain that happiness?” Michi fell silent for a few moments, shaking his head fractionally before continuing. “…Perhaps it’s because I was, and to an extent still am, a student of history that I feel there may be a reason for concern. As a man once said ‘…Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’.”

“For a former history professor you seem to know a lot about government and politics as well.” said Akane. 

“The governments of the world are the structure upon which politics form, and serve as the vehicle for the people under those governments.” said Hiro Michi shrugging, as he led the way back to the van, and climbed inside, waiting for Akane to join him before continuing. “…The majority of history is created by the politics of the time and from the belief systems and circumstances of the people involved. If you focus on only one aspect or look at history as only a series of events without including the underlying elements making it up you’ll see at best only an incomplete picture.” 

“I see…” murmured Akane, her expression thoughtful. 

Michi looked over at her with a slight smile as the van resumed its progress down the road. “Perhaps in part that’s the mistake the Sybil System made that has led to much of what’s gone on in Japan of late. In eliminating any voices or records contrary to those supporting its own formation, the system has largely ignored and ceased to listen to the voices of many of the people under it. …In history no government that does not listen to the voice of its people has lasted for long without undergoing profound change or being replaced entirely. A government and the people under it must work hand in hand for it to succeed.”

Akane put a hand on the seat in front of her to steady herself as the van jolted over some rough patches in the unpaved desert road, as she thought for a few minutes before nodding. 

As they neared the outskirts of Santa Barbara, Professor Michi broke the silence that had settled over the vehicle for the past number of miles.  
“Before you go there is one more thing I would like to say…” began the professor, his gaze solemn and intent as he half turned in his seat to over at Akane. “In the annals of history it is rare that a government such as Sybil allows itself to be easily changed or prevented from continuing to expand its control. And as it stands now with SEAUn progressively being overtaken, if the Sybil System is allowed to gain a foothold in this country as well it will have placed itself in a position to continue its expansion by trapping the rest of the world between countries under its power and eventually surround whatever remains until there is no place where the System does not occupy. It’s my belief that the System is aware of that and will form an alliance with the leadership here.”

“…Why… are you telling me this?” asked Akane her fingers unconsciously curling into fists on her thighs for a moment as she pressed her lips together, studying the dark haired man through slightly narrowed eyes. 

Michi let out a breath, shaking his head slightly as he ran a hand through his hair. “…Tsunemori-san, I know that you are still committed to finding a way to improve your Sybil System from within. And I do hope that you are able to succeed… However, I urge you to use great caution from here on,... you may be placing yourself in a dangerous position.” He paused to take Akane’s hand turning it over before pressing a data chip into her open palm. “…This is a security token, which will enable you to place a single encrypted and untraceable call that will be able to reach here. Take it,… in the event a day arrives that you should feel you have a reason to use it …”

Uncertainty flitted across Akane’s face as she hesitated, her gaze moving back and forth between the professor and the data chip cupped in her hand before she finally nodded, her expression serious as she closed her fingers around the chip, placing it deep in her pants pocket.

A short time later the van entered the city, winding through the streets before coming to a stop just inside an alleyway off an unoccupied street.  
Looking out the window Akane could see the governor’s gleaming estate looming over a city that now seemed even less idyllic than it had only a few days earlier. _…Is it always that way? …The more closely you observe something the more you are aware of the imperfections in it?..._ wondered Akane absently as she slid the door of the van open and stepped out onto the side of the road, only to be stopped as Professor Michi called to her.

Akane turned back toward the van as Professor Michi leaned forward, his head and shoulders out the open door of the vehicle. “If Hound makes contact again… is there a message you would like for me to pass along?” 

“…Tell him…” began Akane before she fell silent as she hesitated, debating what if anything to say. _…There’s so much I would want to tell him,… to talk about… but none of it is really something that could be relayed in a message from someone else…_ After a moment Akane shook her head, frowning a bit as she lowered her gaze. 

“Hmm…” hummed Michi softly, smiling faintly as exhaled a breath of laughter. “Then I’ll simply tell him,… that you’re well.”

A light blush warmed Akane’s face briefly before she lowered her head, bowing slightly toward the professor. “…Thank you.”

Michi nodded, inclining his head to Akane in reply. “…Keep the things we discussed in mind.”

“I will. …Goodbye Michi-sensei” agreed Akane nodding, waiting for a moment to see if the professor had anything further to add before turning to go.


	7. Chapter 7

Akane’s return to the governor’s estate, on her own and un-harmed brought with it a minor uproar as the governor alternated between profuse apologies, promising that the culprits behind her abduction would be caught and dealt with, and shouting orders and instructions at various soldiers as they passed. The governor also put in a call to Chief Armato, ordering him to begin a search for the criminals immediately. 

In the midst of it all Akane was escorted back to her room, where she gratefully stretched out on the bed, drinking in the contrasting silence as she thought back over her experiences of the past few days. Rolling onto her side, Akane exhaled in a long sigh as she allowed her eyes to close. Now that her mission had been accomplished she was finally able to relax, at least for the moment. _…So much has happened… But I’m glad that I’ll be able go home soon…_

The next day Akane was taken to the harbor where the ship she had arrived on was waiting to transport her home. As Akane stood at the bottom of the ramp Governor Beckett once again offered his apologies for ‘the terrible ordeal’ she had gone through and asserted his hope that the incident wouldn’t ‘tarnish the relationship between their two countries’. 

Several minutes later the governor finished, adding that the Chief of Police would like to add his personal apologies as well. Chief Armato, who had been lingering at the edge of the group of people the governor had assembled to see Akane off, stepped forward his slightly disgruntled expression indicating that he had likely been ordered to do so by the governor. 

“I’m sorry about all the trouble and inconvenience you went through. I hope that you weren’t injured and that the experience won’t tarnish your impression of our country.” said Chief Armato, his eyes flicking to the side where a soldier stood just behind Akane’s shoulder for a moment before returning to the petite inspector as he offered her a slight bow. After a pause he looked up, his displeased expression fading a bit as he asked. “…Were you still able to find what you were looking for?” 

Akane hesitated for a moment, her hand tightening slightly around the data chip in her pocket, as she nodded. “Yes,… I think I found out everything I wanted to know, and more.”

“Glad to hear it, Miss Inspector.” said Douglas Armato grinned as he nodded, offering Akane a wink and slightly irreverent salute as the soldier behind her stepped forward to guide Akane to the ship’s gangplank. “Have a safe journey back to Japan.”

Over the course of next several days during the voyage home Akane worked on preparing the report she would submit to Chief Kasei once she returned to Japan. Eventually after some debate Akane decided to omit entirely any mention of the time she had spent in Michi’s village, instead placing the explanation for her brief disappearance from the governor’s estate on a miscommunication about a desire to explore some of the area before she had left on her own to do so. After making landfall in Japan, Akane made her way to MWPSB headquarters, having already submitted her finished report as soon as she arrived.

Akane was immediately greeted by the sight of Ginoza upon reaching headquarters, the dark haired enforcer obviously having gotten word of her impending return as he had notice enough to be able to meet her at the doors. He accompanied Akane as she headed up to the Chief’s office, the two of them using the time to begin to fill one another in on what had gone on during Akane’s absence. As they rode the elevator up, Akane had also detected what seemed to be a strange reluctance on Ginoza’s part to hear about Akane’s having met Kiyoshiko’s family but didn’t press the issue, deciding that it may be best left undiscussed while in headquarters anyway given the omission on her report. When Akane reached the floor the chief’s office was located on they parted ways, as Ginoza was still on duty and needed to return to Division One’s squad room. Nodding Akane offered the dark haired enforcer an encouraging smile as the elevator doors closed before turning and walking down the hall to Chief Kasei office.

 

In Chief Kasei’s office a short time later Akane stood in front of the large desk her hands folded behind her back as the gray haired woman finished reading the report Akane had submitted shortly after departing the ship on her return to Japan. Kasei reached out to close the file as she finished reading, pausing a few moments before lifting her gaze to Akane while folding her hands in front of her on the desk’s surface, surveying the brunette inspector with a cold gaze. “Inspector Tsunemori, what were your impressions of NorAL,… and it’s governor?” 

“I was able to see little of NorAL, since for the majority of my time there I was confined to either the governor’s estate or the police headquarters. …However, on the surface at least it seems as if portions of it are truly peaceful despite ongoing conflicts both internally and with other neighboring countries.” began Akane unconsciously squaring her shoulders as she spoke, a hint of disapproval flickering across her features for a moment. “However I suspect that our information on the governor’s level of authority may have been overstated,… and that his cooperation with us in this instance was motivated by a hope to gain wealth and prosperity...” 

“…I see…” murmured Chief Kasei, her tone contemplative as she rested her chin on her upraised, folded hands. 

Akane frowned for a moment before continuing. “And so I would recommend that, since I think it is unlikely that there will be further intrusions in Japan as long as we don’t involve ourselves in the affairs of NorAL, we should sever any further attempt at relations with them for the foreseeable future.”

One side of Chief Kasei’s mouth turned down in a slight frown as she lowered her hands to lean forward, eyeing Akane. “Regardless of what you may think is best Inspector, such a decision is far beyond your purview as an inspector of the PSB. So your personal opinion on this matter is of only minor impact to the discussion or the decisions that those in charge of such things will be making… you would do well to remember that.”

Akane’s eyes narrowed as she leaned forward placing her hands on Chief Kasei’s desk as she stared across its surface at the gray haired woman. “…What exactly are you planning?”

The Chief held Akane’s gaze for several long minutes, her expression a mask of dispassion, before sitting back in her chair turning it so that her back was to Akane, the chair itself obscuring her from view. “You’re dismissed Inspector.” 

Akane stared at the back of Chief Kasei’s chair for a moment, internally warring with the desire to confront and demand answers, before finally straightening and making her way out of the Chief’s office.

Evening a couple of days later found Akane and Kiyoshiko at Akane’s apartment. The pair were taking some time to talk about the details of Akane’s trip to NorAL, at least as much as Akane was able to relate without mentioning anything that was classified, before their usual training session. 

“…That’s amazing.” Kiyoshiko was saying as she shook her head in wonderment. “I still can’t believe that you actually found them Akane-chan. …It feels like it must be some sort of dream…”

“Kiyoshiko-chan… can I ask you something?” asked Akane, looking over to where the raven haired woman sat a few feet away perched on the edge of Akane’s expansive couch.

“Of course.” said Kiyoshiko, smiling slightly as she turned slightly toward Akane for a moment. “What is it you wanted to ask me?”

Akane took a breath, glancing toward her bedroom where she had purposely left her wrist link shut away behind the bedroom door. “…What do you think about the Sybil System?”

Kiyoshiko’s eyes widened, surprise radiating from her before she took a breath, her expression smoothed over into something resembling caution as she turned her head as if looking around the room before her attention refocused on Akane. “Akane-chan? …Why do you want to know something like that?”

“It’s okay. …No one else will hear us, Shion-san helps me check to make sure that there aren’t any listening devices in my apartment, and I left my wrist-link in another room. It’s safe for us to talk.” said Akane, a hint of a reticent smile touching one side of her lips for a moment. _…It seems like Kiyoshiko-chan might not be much different than her father when it comes to being suspicious about the Sybil system. Or at least knows enough to be careful about questioning it very much._

“…All right.” Kiyoshiko nodded. Falling silent for a few minutes before she began, a small frown on her face as she spoke slowly and carefully, weighing her words. “…For a long time, most of my life really, I just didn’t think about it very much. …I mean I may have wondered a bit sometimes about why some things were the way they were, but I also didn’t try very hard to figure out why even if I did have doubts. Maybe that was wrong, I’m not sure… But I guess to some extent I’ve also always questioned the Sybil system’s judgement a little too. …Though that’s probably not entirely surprising, given what you know about my family now.” Kiyoshiko paused for a moment, offering Akane a hint of a sheepish smile as she continued, her expression sobering once more.  
“…But especially now, now that I’ve also had a chance to meet and get to know you, and Nobuchika, and the others, I’m even less sure that its judgment is entirely correct. …And I wonder sometimes, if that might be why latent criminals are kept isolated from society. Not because of the crimes they might commit, but because if more people were able to know them as people like you and I have. They might see that they are different than how the system portrays them to be… and that it might cause more people to begin to ask questions about other aspects of the system.” Kiyoshiko hesitated, pressing her lips together as her frown deepened, one hand tightening into a fist where it rested on her knee. After a moment she raised her chin, her sightless eyes seeming to fix directly on Akane’s with resolution. “…I sometimes think,… that maybe they should.”

_...What was it Professor Michi had said… that he was ‘hoping it wouldn’t be necessary?’ …and yet he was still preparing anyway…_ After sitting in silence for several minutes Akane nodded, seeming to come to some sort of decision. She rose from the couch, motioning with her head toward the gym. “We should probably get started,… but I think I want to try something new. …Have you ever tried to find your way around an unfamiliar place without using your guide cane?” began Akane as the two of them stepped into the room.


End file.
